Gardener Enhancement Proposals (GEPs)
A Gardener Enhancement Proposal (GEP) is the primary mechanism to propose, communicate, and coordinate project-wide changes for the Gardener project.
GEPs are used for topics that require discussion and decision-making in Gardener's Technical Steering Committee (TSC).
🚀 Quick Start for the GEP Process
Socialize the idea early
- Discuss your idea with the Gardener community or relevant stakeholders.
- Suitable forums include:
- Gardener Slack channels
- Direct discussions with community members
- Direct discussions with TSC members
- The goal is to validate that the topic is worth pursuing and that there is sufficient interest to move forward.
Create a GEP
- Follow the process and structure outlined in the GEP template.
- Submit the proposal as a Pull Request to this repository.
- The steering committee will start reviewing your PR - please react on their feedback!
- Once the initial PR reviews have been completed, a member of the steering committee will coordinate scheduling a meeting to discuss the GEP.
❓ FAQs
Do I have to use the GEP process?
In most cases, yes.
GEPs are required for non-trivial, project-wide changes, in particular for:
- Proposals that may be controversial
- New features beyond very small, incremental additions
- Major changes to existing functionality
- Topics with cross-team or ecosystem-wide impact
- New extensions in the Gardener organizatino
- Changes requiring TSC discussion
The goal is to keep the process lightweight enough that using a GEP is the default for significant changes.
Why should I use the GEP process?
The GEP process exists to provide clarity, transparency, and alignment across the Gardener project.
Benefits include:
- A single, discoverable place for major proposals and decisions
- Clear articulation of motivation, scope, and intent
- A structured process with explicit reviewers and decision-makers
- A durable, searchable record of decisions and rationale
- Early feedback that often prevents costly redesigns later
The process is inspired by established proposal systems such as IETF RFCs, Python PEPs, Rust RFCs, and Kubernetes GEPs, but adapted to Gardener's governance model.
How does the TSC fit into the GEP process?
Gardener has no SIG-based ownership model.
Instead:
- Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Evaluates all proposals, covering:
- Vision, strategy, prioritization, and roadmap fit
- Architecture, technical direction, and design decisions
- APIs, interfaces, and design choices
- From the initial "Whether / Why" question through to the "How"
Where do GEPs live?
All project-wide GEPs live in this repository.
There are no SIG subdirectories.
Subproject-internal proposals do not belong here unless they meet the criteria for TSC discussion.
When should I not use a GEP?
You usually do not need a GEP for:
- Small, isolated bug fixes
- Minor, non-controversial enhancements
- Changes scoped strictly to a single subproject that do not meet steering criteria
When in doubt, err on the side of creating a GEP or ask a TSC member for guidance.
How mature is the GEP process?
The GEP process is intentionally evolving.
Indicators of a healthy process include:
- A growing set of well-structured GEPs
- Timely steering discussions and documented decisions
- Public, searchable proposals and outcomes
Improvements to the process are welcome and can be proposed via Pull Requests to this repository.
What is the naming convention for GEPs?
GEPs are now prefixed with their associated tracking issue number. This gives both the GEP a unique identifier and provides an easy breadcrumb for people to find the issue where the current state of the GEP is being updated.
My FAQ isn't answered here!
The GEP process is still evolving! If something is missing or not answered here feel free to reach out to the steering committee members. If you want to propose a change to the GEP process you can open a PR with your proposal.